Army to announce 40K in troop cuts: reports

The Army plans to cut 40,000 soldiers from its ranks over the next two years, according to reports. 

The troop cuts were long expected as part of the post-war drawdown and due to defense budget cuts, and the affected bases will be announced this week, according to CNN.

An additional 17,000 Army civilian employees would be laid off as well.  

{mosads}Army documents obtained by USA Today said the cuts could affect brigades at Fort Benning, Ga., and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, which could be downsized from about 4,000 soldiers to 1,050. 

The Army first announced in 2013 that it would reduce its force to 450,000 by the end of 2017 and could go even lower — to 420,000 if sequestration remains in place. 

Sequestration is due to cut $500 billion from the Pentagon’s budget over 10 years, doubling already-planned cuts under the 2011 Budget Control Act. 

At 420,000, the Army would not be able to meet its current deployments and respond to new demands, USA Today reported. 

At the peak of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army’s troop numbers had reached 570,000.